Surprises
by ivyflightislistening
Summary: This is a one-shot where Holly is aboveground and on vacation, and naturally stops to see Artemis. Not necessarily H/A, just friendship. Typical bantering, hopefully some humor. My other story, 'Holidays' can be considered a sequel.


_I do not own the _Artemis Fowl _series or anything affiliated with it, which all belongs to Eoin Colfer. This is purely fan-based, as is all my work on _fanfiction dot net.

A few-shot where Holly happens to be aboveground for the holidays and stops in with Artemis. New chapter soon, perhaps.

**Surprises **

Very few people have the ability or luck to surprise Artemis Fowl II. If it wasn't so frustrating for him to remember, Artemis could easily come up with a list of names and instances, and would probably be able to count them on one hand. It didn't happen often, given that Artemis would often analyze every possible outcome for a situation, so that even if he were wrong about which occurred, he would still be prepared for the outcome.

However, children need sleep, even child geniuses like young Master Fowl, who at this moment in time was asleep. Given the adventures this boy has had over the years, it may be helpful to say that he was asleep in his own bed, in his bedroom at Fowl Manor. Outside, snow had been accumulating ever since the grey clouds had broken that afternoon.

Had there been any light outside, and had Artemis been awake, he would have seen a figure appear out of the storm and begin to fiddle with the lock on Artemis's window. Had they been awake, anyone else may have screamed. But Artemis was quite accustomed to creatures like this, and had even befriended this particular one. On first impression, she was a girl, maybe a head or two shorter than he, but long and pointed ears were hidden under a flashy, high-tech helmet, and her winter gear had certainly never been seen on the human markets. However useful this helmet was, though, it had not been built to protect her from the elements, and so when Holly Short pulled the window shut behind her, her elvish face was flushed with cold.

Artemis had granted her eternal permission to enter Fowl Manor at any time during their last video conference a month prior. This would hold as long as she entered with no ill will towards anyone seeeking refuge inside of the building. Some called this overkill, but some hadn't gone up against Opal Koboi and like-minded fiends multiple times.

But now, with no harmful intentions in mind, Holly was free to enter the room. Once the window was shut and her helmet removed, she looked around the room, curious. She had seen his study and nearly every other room in the building, but believed this to be her first time here. It was modest, she decided, though it quite obviously belonged to a Fowl. There was an old (pre-Victorian era, she guessed, but nicely restored) desk in one corner, bare save for a notepad, and was that a pen? Elf eyesight only went so far in dark spaces. Next to it were a series of very modern and probably locked file cabinets. Something flickered in the corner of her eye and she spun, Neutrino 2000 out with instincts borne of years of training and experience. But it was just a mirror. Full-length. Old fashioned. Probably Angeline Fowl's doing.

_Relax, Holly_. She reassured. _You're perfectly welcome here._

But the mirror was angled in a position to reflect the entire room, something Holly was sure Artemis had planned himself. Behind her, positioned against one wall, was a large bed, typical of wealthy and plush families like Artemis's. Another shape loomed beyond it, on the opposite wall. A wardrobe or bookcase, most likely. Not of any interest, unlike the boy resting and the bedside table she nearly walked in to. Picture frames on the table rattled, but it was a sturdy piece of furniture and if anything, Holly's toe had sustained more damage than it. But given the starkness of Artemis's walls, he wasn't one for extraneous décor or objects. Curiosity piqued, she leaned closer.

There were four frames, all in light gold frames as if to put new meaning to the motto _Aurum est potestas._ The first was of a man and a woman-Artemis's parents-looking considerably younger and completely in love. Judging from their attire, it was their wedding day. Holly smiled slightly, looking to the next photo of his younger siblings, and then a picture she had given him of Jayjay, smiling for the camera from his new home in Haven. Behind all three stood a third, one that glinted in the dark with objective _mesmer_, a magic so easy and common it was practically only a party trick these days, to only allow a specified few to view whatever was cloaked. In this case, Holly assumed that only she, Artemis, and Butler were able to see the photo, given that they were the subjects.

She remembered that day, the last time she had been aboveground before tonight. Caballine had taken the picture, having grown quite fond of the lemur, and Holly had taken it upon herself to be sure Artemis had a copy. When she stopped by, he had looked at it for a moment, smiling the for-real smile she preferred to his I-have-the-ability-to-take-over-the-world leer. Angeline Fowl had been watching with a mixture of happiness for her son and his friend and anxiety, as her son and his friend had been in more life threatening situations than she cared to count. Butler had taken a look at the photo and smiled as well, and then Artemis had bent slightly to hug her, and ended up lifting her off the ground and spinning for a moment. It had been completely childish, an act of giddiness rather than sense, but Holly had found she didn't mind so much. Mrs. Fowl had taken the photograph, and Holly felt quite glad to see it on Artemis's bedside table.

"Holly?"

Hand on her trusty Neutrino, Holly dropped the picture and spun, only to find her gun pointed right between Artemis Fowl's eyes.

"Artemis." She breathed, lowering the gun and the stooping to pick up the photograph. "Sorry about that."

"No apology necessary." Said Artemis, his Irish lilt croaky and groggy given that he had just been deeply asleep. But he sounded as if he didn't mind being woken up, as if this were a pleasant surprise. Add that to the list. "I'm the one who startled you."

Holly snorted derisively. "I'm the one who woke you at one in the morning. Sorry for that." She raised an eyebrow, watching Artemis who had sat upright, flinging his pajama'd legs over the side of the bed and fitting his feet in conveniently placed shoes, but then he stopped and Holly saw his eyes flick towards her.

"So there is no need to run off and save the world?" He asked, clearly relieved. "Koboi has not escaped? Trolls are not wreaking havoc on unsuspecting villagers?"

Holly couldn't help a laugh and hopped onto the bed beside the boy. The blankets were warm and soft, for which she was thankful despite her suit. These contraptions could only do so much, and the snow had not been expected, given that she was supposed to be in Marseille.

"Artemis Fowl, you are probably the only person aboveground that would expect a troll attack. I'm sure you have defenses in place?"

"Butler and I spent weeks on them."

It was hard to see his face in the dark, but Holly had known Artemis long enough to know that he was kidding. Sort of.

She chuckled. "Go back to bed, Artemis. You sound exhausted."

"You just arrived!" He protested, as if this very suggestion were insanity. "Surely you must need something if you're here at this hour."

Holly smiled to herself. "To think that we need a crisis just to see each other. I was checking on some exiled dwarves in southern France. It was my last job before my solstice break, in which I have the privilege to undergo and legal activities I wish. Figured I'd take advantage of that, and the LEP being too busy with the holiday crime rates to bother with me."

Artemis, too, found himself smiling despite how tired he was, now minding how his limbs were stiff and groaning after Myles and Beckett had decided to play law enforcement and chase him around the house, beat him to the ground, and proceed to tie him up. He blamed himself for the ropes, as he had taught those knots to the pair. Butler hadn't laughed that hard in years.

But southern France was awfully far, and if the chill emoting from the window was anything to judge on, hardly pleasant. "You flew here in this weather?" He asked. "From _France?_"

"Obviously, unless I swam, which despite the snow, would have been worse."

He rolled his eyes, resisting the urge to fall back onto his feather pillows. "It was rhetorical. Here, put these on."

For a moment, he scrambled around on the floor until he located a pair of Beckett's wool socks. He must have left them in the room when "stoning" Artemis with bundles of socks earlier that day. Again, he had told them about the brutal technique when they had expressed interest in getting a cat. His mother had insisted that they would have to help care for it, and he had pointed out that in ancient Egypt, if you disrespected or mistreated a cat, stoning was always an option. Angeline hadn't been pleased.

Artemis had noticed this pair when getting into bed, the only set that had missed the pick-up session, lying like forgotten casualties of war. He pressed them into Holly's hands, blocks of ice that they were. Really, he would have though recon suits would be better equipped.

"Thanks." She muttered, stuffing her hands into the socks. "I probably wouldn't have been able to blast your head if I wanted to."

"I had faith in your head blasting abilities no matter what your condition." Artemis assured her in such a way that they were both laughing a moment later. It only ceased when Artemis yawned enormously, and Holly prodded his shoulder.

"Go on, Fowl," she whispered into the darkness. "Get some sleep."

His protests were marred by another yawn, but being at least two times Holly's weight had its advantages.

"I have plenty of extra blankets, Holly." He told her. "I know the idea may be awkward for you, but you're free to take the other side of the bed. I hardly take up a third of the space, anyway. If you've been on a mission and flown here, you have probably not slept for twenty-four hours minimum."

Artemis had been expecting the steel in Holly's voice, but burrowed back under his blankets without concern. He felt Holly shift over on her perch, making room.

"I do not need your concern, Mud Boy."

He could see just as little with his eyes shut and it was considerably more comfortable given the hour. "And I don't need all this materialistic sleeping gear, but it certainly is nice on nights like this. I'd offer one of the guestrooms, but knowing your luck, the twins would stumble in."

"_My _luck?" Holly hissed indignantly, hopping to her feet. "Excuse me?"

But there was no reply for some time, time that was spent by Holly cursing under her breath, yanking her boots off and rubbing the warmth back into her toes. Only when Artemis felt the slightest tremor at the foot of the opposite side of the bed and the rustle of blankets did he address his friend.

"How long are you staying?"

Holly's voice was considerably softer, but whether because she was actually touched or because of her weariness, Artemis wasn't positive. "Few days, maybe. Foaly said he'd save me a shuttle whenever necessary. That is," Holly's words drowned in a yawn. "If you don't have plans or want-"

"Stay as long as you wish."

"'K."

"We'll have to be careful of the twins, father, and the staff, but I can show you the grounds tomorrow if you want. Or perhaps I could take you out to this place inland, an old relic of fairy-"

"Artemis, shut up."

He was about to reply, despite his early recognition of a common attribute to weariness: excessive rambling, but bit his tongue and shifted deeper under the blankets. Once he found that her breathing had deepened with sleep, he smiled into his pillow, not minding at all the surprise that had woken him.

"Goodnight, Holly." He whispered.

XXXXX

I hoped you like it. I didn't mean to convey and Holly/Artemis relationship, just friendship. Hope you check in for the next chapter!


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